The foodbank rise illustrates extent of family poverty scandal

Over the last 15 years, the number of foodbanks has rocketed from 35 to 2,600. This nationwide explosion in emergency aid has been followed by the opening of banks for bedding, hygiene, clothes, furnishing and baby products.

- BY GORDON BROWN

As charities have replaced universal credit as the last line of defence against poverty, over the last three years we have seen the creation of The Multibank, which takes a holistic view of the needs of a family and tries to offer not just a safety net but, by relieving household material poverty, a springboard for raising children out of it.